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"How about Miko-chan?" Chika pitched to the room. Both Kaguya and Miyuki froze in place, thinking about how Chika could even mention her preferred ship in the state Yu was in. They didn't even notice how nervous Chika was when she asked.
"C'mon now, Fujiwara-Senpai," Yu said. "Just think about it. There's no way that would happen."
Miyuki instinctively turned his head to Miko after Yu spoke. And all he saw was a blank face, staring at nothing on the coffee table.
Miko quickly picked herself up and went to her usual self. "Yes, Fujiwara-senpai. There's no way I could date Ishigami. Too many problems for him to get over."
Yu motions his hand to Miko and sighs. "Ya see?"
…
The student council room emptied out, leaving Miyuki and Miko alone.
Miyuki stared out the window behind his desk before turning to see Miko on the couch. Knees huddled up to her chest while her head rested on them. He could only look with concern; the dating talk the five members had felt awkward, and Miko's denial just added onto it.
"Iino?"
"I've been doing my best to be a good girl," Miko began. "I helped out Ishigami when he was trying to go for Tsubame-senpai. And yet…when I learned he got rejected, I was kinda happy. I kept thinking I hated Tsubame-senpai, even though she's so nice to me. I feel so ashamed."
"Iino…You always say such depressing things. It's noble to be ashamed, but you shouldn't be down about it." Miyuki said.
"I can't control what I feel," Miko replied.
Miyuki's nerves started to get the best of him, but he stifled them before they could surface with a deep breath. "Is there anything I can do to help? I'm not really sure what to do in situations like this."
"In that case…
"Hug me please."
Miyuki's eyes turned up to look at the door; he thought that he heard a squeak of some sort. But he quickly focused on Miko's request and sighed.
"Like I said…YOU'VE GOT TO BE MORE CAREFUL WITH WHAT YOU SAY! COULD YOU IMAGINE WHAT SHINOMIYA WOULD THINK IF SHE HEARD YOU-"
"Fufu," Miko chuckled. "Just seeing your reaction was enough to cheer me up a bit."
Another tiny sound came from the door, but it went unnoticed by Miko and Miyuki.
That tiny sound came from Kaguya. She, along with Ai, came back to the student council room to check up on Miyuki. She wanted to walk home with him today, but he said that she should wait for a bit.
She did not expect to see her adorable junior be such a devious, evil, pest that needed to be exterminated. But she breathed a huge sigh of relief after Miko's tease, and only didn't drop to the ground because Ai stopped her momentum.
Ai sighed. "Kaguya, you really have to control yourself," she whispered.
"Well, I don't know how much I can trust Iino," Kaguya whispered back. "Who knows which girls will try and seduce Shirogane. How could I trust him if he falls for someone like that?"
"Stop being an idiot, you heard what they are talking about."
Kaguya took a breath. "Right, right." She peered into the small crack of the door to look in again, Ai carefully looking as well.
"In your case, senpai. I wouldn't mind being hugged by you forever."
Kaguya could feel her blood boil again.
"If you do, I'd prefer if you hugged me from behind. It really puts me at ease."
Kaguya could feel her eyes bulging again.
And all Ai could do was glare at her friend.
"What if I end up feeling something for you?" Miyuki asked.
Kaguya felt her legs get wobbly.
"I'm only doing this because I trust that you won't. If something does happen, we can both plummet to hell together."
"YOU REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!"
Miko's small laugh filled the room as both Miyuki and Kaguya sighed in relief again.
"I'm glad to see she knows what she deserves if she does anything fishy," Kaguya said with a self-assured nod and the smallest smirk.
'You wishy-washy, stupid dumbass,' was all Ai could think.
"I really don't know when you actually need help. You are pretty good at hiding those feelings around most people," Miyuki commented.
"Well, I need to keep face as the Public Morals committee. It is hard to maintain those emotions, but I have been doing that for a while," Miko responded.
"You can let those emotions out when in the student council room," Miyuki said. It was what he felt that he could do. "We let people talk about their problems, and as you know, us members are not exceptions."
"Well, I am happy that I can talk about it with you, senpai." Miko said. "But I have only showed that side of me once to you. Maybe if you were a girl, then you could have comforted me with a hug. It's much different since we're a boy and a girl. Just imagine what would happen if anyone saw us like that. If Shinomiya-senpai saw us hugging."
Kaguya smiled. 'That's right, Iino! Both of you would be dead if you were hugging. How could Miyuki even think about that!' She looked at Miyuki and saw his nervous face. 'Shame on you, Miyuki! Even if you are trying to help, such physical touching just feels wrong if it were not with who you love. Just keep being a good senior and talk about her feelings.'
"That would be troubling," Miyuki said. "But it's good if you can express your feelings more. It's not good to bottle it all up."
"Maybe not but talking it out feels good too."
'Talking is all we've done,' Miyuki thought to himself. 'She opens up, but she should not just laugh or be mortified in this room. Crying all alone wouldn't feel too good either.
'I don't know what I can do to make her really open up. Iino's not wrong about hugging, but I don't really know how I can comfort her as a senpai. It's clear what our relationship is, and I know that she won't sway me from Kaguya.'
Miyuki screamed internally. 'It's always so difficult to do things because I can only think about how Kaguya feels!
'Ah, fuck it. I'm going to try my best as her senior to let her feel comforted. And if I die, at least she knows I was a person who supported her.'
Miko's back faced the president. 'She said she likes back hugs better. So maybe she'll feel more secure. But if I saw Kaguya getting hugged from behind…by a guy…
'No! Despite how bad I imagine it, Miko needs to feel comfortable!'
He took shaky steps toward Miko.
'Mi-Miyuki?' Kaguya held her breath while Ai's eyes widened.
"Senpai?" Miko heard the footsteps and started to turn around. But before she could…
She felt Miyuki's arms wrap around her waist.
…The world felt stilled. Miko's quickening blush, Miyuki's nervous gulp, Kaguya's hand nearly shaking the door, only stopped by Ai's hand, whose jaw was dropped.
"S-S-S-SENPAI! PRES! SHIROGANE-SENPAI!" Miko yelled as she struggled to get out of Miyuki's hug. "Too much touching! Sexual harassment!"
"Maybe Kashiwagi and I can talk about how we can get rid of our boyfriends if they do anything wrong. Maybe we can get it arranged today," Kaguya said emotionless. Ai wanted to retort, but…she did not expect to see this.
Miko kicked and struggled to get out, but Miyuki started to calm down.
"Do you feel a bit calmer now, Iino?" Miyuki said calmly. On the inside, he felt the shame punching down relentlessly.
"N-NO!" Miko shouted. "How could I feel calm like this!"
"You said you felt calmer if you got hugged from behind. I'm not hugging you because I'm in love with you. You know that."
Miko's struggling slowly stopped, but her blush was still very apparent. "T-This is very shameful, President. How could you just do this? You thought about Shinomiya-senpai, right?"
They felt an unnerving presence, but the feeling of their guilt just kept building. They couldn't notice how the door slightly opened more, with two eyes peering intensely at them.
"Of course I did. If you feel something, you'll plummet to hell with me. Right?" Miko nodded. "I meant it when I said it's not good to bottle up your feelings. Talking can be nice, but some sort of comfort when talking can feel good too."
"I…I don't really think so." Miko said, but her voice softened after each word she spoke.
"You feel so bad when you think how happy you are about Ishigami's relationship. Jealousy can be pretty bad, but humans aren't saints. We all care about Ishigami, and some of us care about him in different ways." Miyuki felt Miko's hands on his own and smiled. "Maybe you won't be his immediate choice for a girlfriend. But we can help him cope with his rejection. And just maybe…maybe you'll find the right time to say how you feel to him. And maybe he'll see you how you see him right now.
"But if you feel like crying or complaining or anything…I'll be here and you're free to do any of it. It's better than sulking alone. We're not seniors and juniors, boys and girls, or lovers. We're friends, and friends can show their ugly side sometimes."
He felt Miko shudder, and she cried soon after. She turned around and cried onto Miyuki's uniform. And Miyuki kept his hug intact.
Outside of the room, Kaguya lied on the ground as she kept her eye in the crack of the door. Ai stood and stared at her friend. They were both frozen in place, not really knowing how to react.
'Was Shirogane always this bold? I know he cares a lot about his friends, but it feels like he has gained lot more confidence now that he is dating Kaguya,' Ai thought to herself. She kept her gaze focused on her friend as she got up from the ground and silently closed the door. "How are you feeling?" She asked Kaguya.
"I know President is such a caring person. And I know he loves me so much. But sometimes it's okay to punish him for getting touchy with someone else. He initiated the hug, so it is his fault for being so nice and so terrible. Maybe Kashiwagi knows what to do," Kaguya spouted lifelessly.
"Well, at least you know he's too in love with you to betray you," Ai said as they walked away from the student council room.
"Maybe, but maybe he would be seduced by other pigs. And like the manwhore he is, he wouldn't hesitate to hug some random woman on the street."
Kaguya and Ai's conversation about how Miyuki would act continued until they got back home.
…
After Miko's crying session, the air around Miko and Miyuki felt much lighter.
"Does someone consoling you feel better than crying alone?" Miyuki asked.
"I never cry alone," Miko retorted. "But having a shoulder to lean on helps a lot."
Miyuki smiled. "Glad to hear it."
"Is there anything you do to feel better when you're depressed and alone?" Miko asked, a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.
"Yeah, I put up little posters." Miyuki wrote down some inspirational words on some pieces of paper and hung them on the wall. "See, doesn't it make you feel better?"
"This is terrifying," Miko said. "I can't believe I was comforted by you, senpai."